South market larger than perceived: Rajasthan Patrika

Close on the heels of the launch of the Chennai edition, Rajasthan Patrika took a bullish view of the Hindi newspaper readership market in the southern states. “We are not limiting our selves to immigrant Marvaris as may be the perception,” Siddharth Kothari, Director, Marketing, Rajasthan Patrika, told exchange4media.com.

Kothari rejects the common refrain that Hindi is not quite popular in Tamil Nadu and other southern states. “At Bangalore we had a very interesting experience by way of educating the Kannada readers with knowledge of Hindi with tips and lessons on Hindi. We would like to replicate the experience at Tamil Nadu,” he stated.

Talking about the target audience of the newspaper, Kothari said, “There is a tremendous market that includes in the main the government and commercial establishments. Demand is coming from quarters including schools, libraries, banks, and defense establishments.”

Would Hyderabad figure next on the agenda? “We are encouraged by the positive response and success of our Bangalore edition. So, who knows it may be next on the cards,” he commented.

The Bangalore and Chennai editions would cover the four southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andra Pradesh. “We have already begun with a figure of 15,000 copies,” Kothari said.